Behringer BDI21

As almost all Behringer stompbox manuals this one is virtually useless when it comes to getting sound out of the stompbox, bu I have to give a thumbs up for the example presets in the manual.
This is not a very simple pedal, while it is very straight forwards in what each knob does, it's not easy to get THAT sound out of it, one little touch in one of the knobs makes all the difference.

I use this always on as a preamp but i've tried a lot of presets and it's a very versatile box, from Muse like fuzz to that slight distortion on hard notes like a valve preamp to the thick almost synth bass sound, it's got it all.
As noise goes it's got some, especially when the treble or presence knobs go more than 2o'chlock but it's nothing noticeable while playing.

I use it every day and don't fear for it. Ofcource I'm not kiking it all the time and don't even use it as a normal pedal but I don't think it is as fragile as most people say it is.

Till now Behringer as been very supportive and answered all my questions so 10 them

This is, without a doubt, a great box. I will only stop using it if I get something like a Bass V-amp or if I get some very Top of the line preamp otherwise this does a perfect job.
From what i've seen of it so far (like one year with it now) it is perfect for use with bright basses so you don't need to crank up the presence and treble so much an thus you don't have so much noise.
If you doubt the sound power of this box just search for the blind test of it against the Tech21 BDDI on Talk bass forums.
To make this a perfect thing for me was making a rackmount version of it with mid and mid freq controls.

Pretty good sound. Have used it in many live gigs and the fact that I can control my sounds the way i like it (without the pa man doing it) is great.

I purchased this mainly because it was as close as I could get to a 'cheap' Sans Amp stomp box. However I did find it lacked a little in tweaking sound. There wasnt much difference in changing the Blend/Bass control as they sounded similar, making the blend control kind of useless. And the bass didnt really give out must extra bass when pushed to its max.

However the drive, treble, and presence did indeed give my bass a great tone for funk/slap/soloing. Combining this with some compression from some pa effects makes it even better!

I have used this pedal for 3 years in every gig i have ever performed. Has never let me down, and it saves alot of hassles for me having to carry a bass amp/cab around as it has a DI in it as well.

never had to call them.

The pedal has lasted a long time and has never failed on me. The high tones (such as presence, treble, drive) can be tweaked really well making it a great substitute for a Sans Amp pedal if you dont want to spend alot of cash. However it lacked bass. The blend control was sort of useless as well, as the bass control pretyt much did the same thing. However, yet its worth every penny if you are on a budget & want a nice crunch to your bass to cut through a mix.

Very easy to use: has drive, bass, treble, level, blend (wet/dry), and presence.
Knobs feel a bit tacky like all Behringer gear, but... whatever.

Also ground lift switch for the balanced out.

Using with a Fender Jaguar Bass (similar to Jazz Bass), into a Warwick Blue Cab 60.

I love this thing. I've always found my Blue Cab to be a bit straight and boring, and never found the EQ to be very effective. The BDI gives me the compression, drive and EQ that I've been after.
Nothing fancy... It's not going to massively wow you, but it just gives me the tone I've been after.

No noise issues, even at pretty high drive levels. Bit of noise at max. drive, but really it's superb.

Personally haven't had a problem. I don't actually put it on the floor, because I always have it on, so it just sits atop my amp.
Have heard the foot switch is a bit dodgy, but I never stomp it.

I always have a spare DI in my bag for gigs, but have never had to use it.

Am playing in funk/pop band at the moment, and this box makes me much happier. That little bit of compression can really improve your sound and ability to sit in a mix. Bass DI straight into a mixer can be horrible, especially if the sound guy is doing the wrong thing with the EQ. This way you get to control your own sound on stage!

Controls are self-explanatory. Manual is adequate. Download a manual for the Tech 21 Sans Amp for some sample settings.

Sounded fine when it worked (see below). I don't think it would fool anyone into thinking you were really playing through a tube amp, but it's a nice mellow alternative to the standard solid-state sound.

Oops. Right off the bat, the footswitch wouldn't work consistently. The unit would get stuck in either the on or off position until you hit the footswitch a dozen or so times. Totally useless for live play.
Knobs worked fine, I'll give it that.

Dunno, haven't contacted them.

Quality control is clearly a problem for Behringer. This is the fifth pedal I've bought by them. It's the fourth one I've returned. I wish they'd get it together -- when they work, they usually sound good and sure are a bargain.

Pretty straightforward -- various tone knobs, plus level, drive, and blend. Manual is good. You'll probably have to spend a few minutes of trial and error to find the sound you're looking for, but that's to be expected with any pedal with more than one knob . . .

Sounds nice. I don't think it'll fool anyone into thinking that it's really a tube amp, but it mellowed out my solid state amp nicely.

Aye, here's the rub. The footswitch was screwy. The unit would get stuck either on or off and I'd have to hit the switch a dozen or more times to get it to switch. Pretty much makes the damn thing unusable live.

Don't know. Luckily, the store I bought it from gave me a refund no questions asked.

I've bought 5 Behringer pedals this year. Returned all but one of them for various reasons. Think I've finally learned my lesson . . .

One incredibly annoying little thing about these is the the knobs have no visible pointers, so it's impossible to tell if your setting is pointing at nine o'clock or three o'clock if you're more than two inches away from the knob. I'm still fooled 50% of the time. I'll paint indicators on eventually.

I got this purely as a simple DI unit for quick recording of decent scratch tracks when I don't have time to mess with programming a digital patch or micing-up an amp. It's easily good enough for that.

1: The output level is indeed anemic with the balanced out, as many other reviewers here and elsewhere have pointed out. It's not a problem, but if you don't have input trim/boost adjustments on your board with weak-gain preamps, it looks like it could be a very near thing for you.

2: The noise floor on my unit is inaudible, at least on battery. Zero hiss that I can detect with headphones or monitors, so any noise is below that of the other equipment and interference, which is very low in my studio.

3: This is absolutely NOT a direct copy of a SansAmp. It also sounds substantially different, but in a blind test of .MP3 samples of the two units, about half the respondents preferred the Behringer in an online forum.

4: I have read complaints that this unit taking the high-mid punch out of many bass's tones. I think there may be something to that, but I have not had time to fully examine that claim.

5: If you are using the BDI21 as an effect rather than a DI box, your sound will be greatly influenced by your amp and existing effects. Even with tone set flat on the amps, the BDI21 sounded VERY different when used with the numerous professional SWR and Ampeg amp/cabs in my studio. Likewise with one bass to the next.

Mine arrived new with the switch actuator button damaged. The internal button mounting flange was loose because the screws that secured it were stripped out in the cheap plastic used for the case. There were two other stripped screws inside the unit. The switch itself is just a PCB-mounted microswitch (as on nearly every other effect today) but the actuator button seriously overstresses the PCB if you step on it because it pushes down too far. While repairing the stripped out screws, I put some fiber washers under the on/off PCB to increase the standoff distance from the button shaft. Works better and more safely now, but would have eventually broken otherwise.

No experience with this. I figured it was easier just to repair my unit myself.

For the price, and despite its numerous small annoyances, this is a fantastic value for a DI unit -- IF you get a good one. It is a complex circuit using micro surface-mount robotic build. While the claims of it being a straight copy of a SansAmp are nonsense, the BDI21 is close enough in sound to the SansAmp to make paying the extra money for one unattractive.

pretty easy to use given the inmense tonal options it gives. basically, a sans amp bass driver clone.

the sound is great, it givs so many possibilities that i can get enough of the thing. I was aiming for the "real" one, but like all my behringers, i bought it to have an idea of the aproximated sound, to see if I like it and not spend a fortune. like all my behringers, it stayed on my pedalboard and never left. Svt and fat tube settings are brilliant, and some twitching of the knobs gives very quickly the all sought after geddyleeesque drive, but it also gives a fairly good impersonation of crimson tones. that's where the thing really shines. I use it as a conventional stomp box, although I tried it once direct to my computer to record some ideas, and it dit it very well. Great preamp unit on it's own. I found myself plugin it directly to the "power amp in" of my good ol fender bxr combo, skiping the pre an eq stage of the combo completely. I think i'm gonna try some power amp and bass cabinet with it. Great sound, great tone, no hum or noise. If you like a great, defined, bassy punch, without getting into mushy mud on mud sound, this is a MUST. Finger picks are a blast.

behringer surprises with, in one hand, units that die in a week and in the other, units that take abuse forever. so no one knows. I, for one, never had a problem ith this thing or all my other behringers. It's plastic, but also cars, houses and food, this days. What do ya want for the price?

never needed to

Great value for money. Great sound and a whole new array of posibilities. tweek it bad, and it'll sound that way. No mystery there. It looks good too, the colour is nice and it is compact as hell, so you can literally carry a dozen tones and "rigs" in the bass bag. At this price, go get one, and you'll see. I don't know about playing with it "sans an amp", but right know, i wouldn't be surprised it sounded good enough. Still i want the tech 21, of course, but with this ting I can wait almost forever for it.

Dialing up a sound on this is simple. The examples in the one sheet manual are helpful. I wish it had a mid control, but that can be approximated by reducing the other frequencies and pushing the volume back to unity gain.

I have an Ampeg tube pre that sits at home because this thing works so well and is easier to haul around.

The distortion is a bit fizzy for my tastes. It is hard for transistors to replicate the warm, buttery distortion of power tubes. I have had good luck by rolling back the treble and presence. I play with a varying assortment of guitarists at my church, so if they play acoustic or have a thin sound, I push the mids and distortion up a bit to compensate.

As far as sound I'm going for, I'm halfway between Pat Seals of Flyleaf and Flea of the Red Hot Chili Peppers. This unit gets most of the way there, though having a real Music Man bass would help a lot. I have a pair of fives I use for playing: An older California-made TBC and an Chinese-made OLP.

I go straight into the board from the BDI21, no problems noticed with the levels. The way I use it, the unit isn't very noisy at all. More extreme distortion levels will push the noise floor up a bit, of course.

Reliability? I ran it over with my car! I stupidly left this and a Zoom unit behind my car while unloading at the house. the Zoom died, the Beringer survived...It still works great on a power adapter, but won't work with the battery any more.

I use it without a back-up all the time, although I could grab a direct box from the sound booth if this thing ever crapped out.

Although I should give it a 10 in this category, it *did* stop working on battery power after being run over by a *car*, hence the 9.

No direct knowledge concerning this unit.

I play everything from detuned metal/rock/punk to more pop-influenced modern worship, but always with a metal attitude. I like the fact that the sound cleans up when I play softer, but the same setting gives me an aggressive sound by attacking the strings harder. I can even play with a pick without losing the bottom end.

I use an Aviom digital in ear system for monitoring and a great set of Ultimate Ears 'phones, so I know exactly what I'm sending to the board, (the Aviom feed is pre-EQ). The down side is trusting the sound man after that, but they are pretty good for the most part.

Been a bass player for well over 20 years, going through Fender, Ampeg, GK and other pro gear. The BDI21 works for me, and fits in the pocket of my gig bag. I miss the visual impact of an amp that is taller than me, but since the church has thousands of watts behind the 4- 18" subs under the stage all that gear actually interferes with getting a good sound in the house (standing wave interference, phase cancellation and all that).

This is one of the greatest values anywhere.

If this was lost or stolen, I'd buy another in a heartbeat.

This unit is a good starting point for players trying to have a versatile rig. I can easily go from a sharp biting solid state "RUSH" sound to a warm dubby "early STONES" sound. The manual gives some great settings to get started and it delivers what is stated. The only reason this is not a 10 for ease is because it doesn't have the ability for Multiple presets.....c'mon at 29.99?

I stated above that this is very good for warm Blues/Blues Rock/Heavy Rock apps. But in my experience, there is not much in the way of 'overdrive' from the drive section. That's OK since I didn't expect it, but it would've been a nice surprise. I use a '78 Fender Mustang and a mid 60's Dano Longhorn through an early 70's Acoustic 136 and 140 head through a 12" and 15" EV. I don't use anything else on stage at the moment and the pedal gives me a few good variations that fit right in with the style of music I play.

So far So good. It seems well made and doesn't suck the battery dry fast. I have played several 4-5 hour shows on a single battery, although I do mute/unplug it while not playing. As stated by others, it is heavy for it's size and not fragile at all. I enjoy the rubber surface on the bottom that isn't like the small feet that alot of little pedals have that tend to fall off in your gig bag and leave it wobbly or slide on a slick stage. I have no backup for it yet, but I get one just because they're so inexpensive. (hopefully, my wife won't run over my gig bag again)

Only owned for a short time and no support had been required.

I am in a Classic Rock & Blues cover/original band that plays Stones, Zeppelin, Who, Beatles, Joe Cocker, Faces, Santana, etc. We play 2-3 shows a week at Cincinnati clubs/bars. I have been playing since 1980, when learned upright in the school orchestra. I would buy another of these pedals and am considering it now just to have a backup because these are so cheap. I compared it to a Hartke pedal that costs 2X and liked the tube sound of the Behringer better, the Tech 21 is out of my budget range. The Tech 21 sounds better and is more versatile, but at the price, the quality difference doesn't justify it. The weakness I found is that it doesn't OVERDRIVE like a tube amp at high levels. That may be due to my set up, but I have a couple of older tube amps for recording that get gritty when the gain goes up. Don't expect alot of that here. It does get a nice woody warm tube sound and can extend your low warmth without making unwanted noise. It gives me a few different bass sounds to work with on stage to change things up a little without getting too weird...we don't do much Zappa! Buy one if you need some change, but not too much change.

This is very easy to tweak to get any desired modification, the controls do what they say and they make sense.

I play a Spector Legend which is really good on its own and a Trace-Elliot AH250. At home, it goes straight into the pre-amp input of the amp and I am really satisfied with the level of control offered and the simplicity with which it is accomplished. The 12 bands or whatever EQ bands on the Trace are just not necessary for me. I love the warmth of the tube side of "blend", but not a big fan of the transistor side.

I play worship at a church and this is not a demanding gig for sound. Their is a trace combo there also and I run the amp from the line out with EQ flat and DI to the board. I have never had a problem with levels to the board, but like I say, the demands aren't great.

I will take this sound over just about anything I have tried.

This unit has never caused me a problem. I can depend on it and do use it without a backup. That is, I don't have another one. I do have another solution (amp DI) so it is not a huge risk at all.

Never needed any support on this. I have dealt with Behringer on another product. They were prompt but did not solve my problem. I actually found the answer here.

Evidently I play worship music and I like using this at church. Otherwise, it's just me and it is a great match. on my own, I like to rock out and find this supports a lot of stuff I do, though I am a set it and forget it kind of player. I would definitely get another if anything happened to this. The transistor tone is lifeless. Similar to another reviewer, the drive control is a lot heavy at higher settings and I don't go there.

I can't compare it to anything else

Pretty easy to suss out, manual straightforward.

Play early '80s Tokai P-Basses with SD Hot Vintage PUs, through Trace Elliot - with pick or fingers. Generally use 'SVT' setting with just a tad more bass, giving quite a passable impression, with no EQ (flat) on amp. Good sounds acheivable from; Jah Wobble, JJ Burnel to Paul Simonon..& much more. Awful overdrive sounds, but for those kind of sounds would use Guv'nor & TS808 anyway, which work well together with the Behringer.
DI level pretty weak, similar to Sansamp.
No problems with noise whatsoever.
Not quite got the edge on Sansamp, hence 8 out of 10. However,not far off,& at a fraction of the cost.

Cannot comment, have not had pedal long enough.
However, plonk it on top of the amp on all the time, rather than on the floor - so have no issues with the plastic case. I gig with it, seems dependable enough not to need backup.
Guess I'll have to wait & see.

N/A

Really like this pedal, & would recommend at least trying it. For the price can't really go wrong.Hats off to Behringer, really couldn't give a sh*t about the Sansamp rip-off/clone debate. I also have a Sansamp, & this comes nearly as close, to my ears anyway, to emulating classic SVT,Marshall,warm dubby tones. I would buy another if this was nicked. I also like the fact that this is affordable - enabling those on perhaps a lower income or younger persons to get fairly decent sound with quite average amp/guitar set-up.I fail to understand how Tech 21 can justify such a high price. I'm sure many will disagree with this comment, & may even receive some flak,but that's just my opinion. Go give the BDI21 a go.

Very easy to use right out of the box and has great sound quality!

Very excellent sound quality using it as a practice box directly conneted to a Rockbass practice tape player, but IS NOT GOOD FOR LIVE DI BOX FOR A BAND DIRECT TO THE BOARD!!!! Very weak signal from the XLR output connection

Build very good looks like steel but is plastic, but very sturdy plastic!

Have not used Customer Support!

Overall a very good sound for practice and for studio applications but thats it! Very good sound for the money! Will keep it as part of my pedal board and will have to get a basic DI box for live performaces!!

Made in 2006 in China

I haven't tried other products such as the Sans Amp but this little unit definately warmed up my SWR. I really liked the SVT and Fat Tube settings

The Pedal is solid, knobs feel substantial

Haven't had it long enough to comment

Warranty is for 1 yr.

I was impressed. A great tool for adding just the right amount of warmth or punch.

Getting great tones out of this was simple. There are a few example starting places in the user guide.
The manual is just a couple sheets, but there is not a real need for anything too in-depth as this is a pretty easy device to use.
Everything is laid out very nicely.

I've tested this with an Ibanez Soundgear with active pickups and with an OLP MM2 passive, and it is dead silent. I am not using a DC adaptor yet, but I plan to do so. Experience in the past is that it pays to get a good quiet (made for music) adaptor.
All the suggested settings sound pretty much like what they're suggested for. It's not really an effect box, so don't expect it to be. I go from my bass into this, and from there into a QSC 1450, into a Behringer 1x15 and SWR 4x10 cabinet. It rocks!
I've gotta give it a 10. A lot of folks say that this box is a clone of a Sansamp. Well, I have not A/B'ed them side-by-side, but I have tried the Sansamp, and I don't remember it being any better than this one. And you gotta look at the price difference - I could buy abotu 6 of these - and the build quality is rather decent.

Don't know about the long-term reliability. The build quality seems fine though. Although the outside case is plastic, is is NOT NOT NOT like those small Dano or other Behringer pedals. This is a pretty beefy unit. I am not concerned that the case is plastic. I think it would crack if dropped from 4-5 feet, but probably not less than that.
I will use it without a backup because I don't ahve any worries about this based on others' reviews.
To be honest though, I am not going to rate reliability because I have not had very long. I expect it to be reliable.
The controls are very solid, they don't move around on you, although it can be a bit hard to see which way the arrow is pointing (9:00 od 3:00). The footswith is made of plastic, but the actual switch is the same switch used in pedals from any other manufacturer. I don't see it breaking unless it takes a weird drop, but hey, that could happen. In my case, it's staying on, on top of my rack anyway. But I would not be afraid of it breaking in normal use.

I have dealt with Behringer on a couple occasions. Once was through e-mail and that was fast and accurate. Once was live on the phone, and they tried to tell me that defective behavior was normal. So, I think you're better off logging a case on their website. So, I can average out a 10 and a 3 for this one.

My overall rating for this one is a solid 10. It feels good, it sounds good, and it kinda looks good too. For $30, it's hard to pass up - even if you only use it as a DI box.
I'ts a great buy, and I think if you A/B'ed it with a Sansamp blind, you could not tell the difference.

Just to keep it short, I wanted a Sans Amp Bass DI. A friend with inside info told me that Behringer makes great clones of Tech 21's gear (as well as Boss's pedals) for much less money. So I took a gamble on trying this unit and risking $29, verses $200 on a sans amp DI. I am very happy with the Behringer. I saved alot of moolah and it sounds absolutely the same as the Sans Amp. Sorry Tech 21. you make a nice product, but Behringer is just as good and cheaper. Much cheaper. The unit looks and feels solid. I predict it will last for many years. Very satisfied with it. I use it to plug my bass directly into a Yamaha MD8 multi track recorder. It gets sounds that vary from absolutely flat and dry to a scooped out SVT, and even some growling distortion. The distortion is not my cup of tea. I prefer a certain green tube distortion emulating pedal for that.

I have been playing for 25 years, and I know what I'm talking about when it comes to bass guitars. This is a great unit and a fantastic value.

I found it easy to use - be aware that the knob settings are more interactive than a lot of other pedals so put some time in. Use the sugested settings as a start. My main setting for this unit is everything between 1 o'clock and 1:30 except blend which I run flat out.

Use mainly an '82 Precision and an OLP Musicman copy. I've used it into an amp and also recorded a few tracks on a country CD direct to the board with it.

The only negative for me is that the distortion tends to come on in a rush at about 3 o'clock on the drive knob. I'd like it to be more progressive as it's important to me to get it "just right" - a slightly overdriven sound (think Cream era Jack Bruce), but not World War III.

I've had no noise problems, by the way.

Don't know about reliability; it's survived so far and is currently on loan to a buddy of mine who uses it with a Jap Precision in her country band. She loves it.

I'd use it without a backup because it's not a vital part of my rig, and also I haven't had any probs with Behringer gear so far.

Never had to deal with them.

I play all styles; Blues, Rock, Country, Cabaret, Rock'n'Roll. I've got tons of gear but my main instruments are an '82 Precision and an OLP Musicman copy (which I absolutely LOVE). I've been playing for nearly 30 years. I play for a living and do live gigs as well as the occasional session work.

I'll state here that I have a Tech21 SansAmp Bass Driver DI, which this unit IS a copy/clone/ripoff/whatever of, and I'd summarise by saying that if you can afford the SansAmp, get that. If not, the Behringer is stunning value for the bucks and definitely gets you over half-way there sound-wise.

I bought this on a whim, 'coz it's so cheap, thinking to use it as a distortion pedal for live use where I can't be twiddling knobs on the SansAmp(can't afford a second Sansamp at the moment). I ended up leaving it in the car so it's normally always with me in case I need it at short notice.

I'm not crazy about the construction - I'm happy enough with the sound that I would have gladly paid a few extra bucks for a metal case and decent knobs/jacks/footswitch.

I've given it 8 because it's not quite up to the SansAmp but I reiterate that it is excellent bang-for-the-buck.

It's easy enough to use, the manual is straightforward and, to be honest, fairly unecessary! Six knobs which are easy to figure out.

I run a Wesley bass into this box, then straight to either an HH 2x12 combo, a smaller practice amp, or direct to desk.

At first I was fairly happy, managed to play around and get a few decent clean sounds. Turned the gain up past 2 'o' clock and it sounded terrible, so definitely not good for distorted tones.

However, as I played around with it, I occassionally switched to bypass and...it always sounded better. The effected signal always had less depth, clarity and - most notable - less VOLUME. Even on maximum "level" there is a slight volume cut when you engage the effect.

No matter what I did with the knobs, or however good I got it sounding with the effect on, my bass just always sounded better with the effect off.

The only possible exception is if you turn the "presence" knob up quite high. Then you can get a pretty cool funk-bass sound...but again, there's a volume cut.

I also found it fairly noisy, which would be forgivable if the effected signals was LOUDER than the bypass, but it isn't

It seems solid enough, except for the footswitch which is a bit scary. Plastic is never good news, but then there's plastic and there's plastic. This is fairly stury, and is also heavier than you expect it to be which was why I was pleased when I recieved it. I don't think it would take a LOT to break it.

no experience

I wanted to use this in church, to save myself having to bring some pre-amp pedals AND a DI box. I may still use this as a DI box, since for the price it's hardly worth trying to sell. If I'd kept the packaging I'd probably return it.

The effected sounds can be pretty good at times, but when you consider the noise, the volume drop, and the lack of a decent overdrive capability, I don't really think it's worth it. I was going to try a GDI21 as well but I think I won't bother.

As I said, if you're into funk-bass the "presence" knob is pretty good for giving your bass some edge. But is that enough to redeem the pedal?

I think this really reinforces the adage, "you get what you pay for".

I'm only submitting this to make a suggestion to users. I used to own a Sansamp Bass Driver and you're right, it doesn't work that well straight to the board. You really have to boost the level to be heard. It will work great through your amp, though, if you run it through the FX send/return. It will color the sound without distorting (unless you want it to). That's all!

I love the sound. Adds a little bit of tube grit/warmth to my sound without sounding like distortion. I hate distorted bass, but this will do that well if that is what you want.
Manual gives a few suggested settings which is very helpful as a starting point.

I have an active 5 string bass. Amp is GK800RB into Hartke 410 cabinet.

No unwanted noise/hiss during use, or when activating/deactivating.

Does not work as a DI as it is advertised as. No volume whatsoever from the DI to a board. Have heard this from other users as well. I didn't buy it as a DI though. I bought it to use as an effect which is works well for.

The week spot on this pedal is the on/off button itself. Feels pretty flimsy and lightweight. Luckiliy I use this pedal as part of my sound, so I rarely click on and off. If that were the case, I'm not sure how long it would last.

Overall, I like what this pedal does for my sound. Heard great things about the Sansamp BDDI, which this is basically a copy of for about an 8th of the price.

As a DI, it sucks. As an effect emulating a bit of the Ampeg growl, it works great.

Tweak the knobs and find your sound. It's pretty self explanitory.
Manual gets the point across.

I use it with a MIA Jazz Bass and a Washburn T-14 { special edition}
Unit is only slightly noisy with the presence between 3 and 6 o'clock.
But then again, most pre-amp/stomp boxes are. This unit does what it's suppose to. It's not a distortion pedal it's a tube emulator.
I use it mostly direct to a sound board. I can get all the sound I want with it. The sound is warm and beefy, with lots of presence and air.

Built like a tank. It's plastic but it's the good kind. Not that cheap crap. It's got weight to it which I like. It's a sign of quality in my book.

Never dealt with Behrenger.

I play worship, rock, blues, and fusion. This pedal does what I tell it. I wish it had an on/off switch to save battery juice.
I owned a Sansamp bass driver and this pedal almost has it nailed. The Sansamp is four times the price it should be better! If it isin't they are going to lose a lot of money because of this pedal.
Hey, it's $30.00 bucks buy one! If it's not what you expected your only out 30 bucks. I think you'll like it though.

Pretty easy to use.... the general settings in the manual was helpful.

I have never heard the sansamp BDDI but he BDI21 should good to me. I am using it to improve my bass guitar recording, and the BDI21 does it job wonderfully.

The bass I am using is a Yamaha RBX270, and with the BDI21, I can get a variety of usuable solid tone for my recordings....

I also bought the ADI21 for acoustic recording but I have issues with that... for the BDI21, I am very happy with the purchase.

It is made of tough plastic... durable enough for studio use... I am NOT gonna step on the flimsy foot switch (that is the weak link IMO)

for live use, as long as you don't intend to step on the footswitch often, they are ok.

They seems better build compared to their cheaper plastic pedal brothers.

I think the BDI21 is a great unit given its price.... which is very important to 3rd world country people like me... without the BDI21, I might need to wait for another 2 years before I can get a hold of the sansamps equivalent....

kudos Behringer!

Well how hard can it be to turn some knobs that are labeled. the manual is quite simple to use plain english, firmware revision?

I'm using it with an Ibanez srx300 and a Behringer1200 bass combo (which I love)
actually very quite
everything sounds pretty good it a cheap DI box with amp models sounds great still
well the tube semulater is great not a fan of tube but i just might

seems tough it's heavy for how small it is
yea i'd use it without a back up don't know yet just got it

don't know

I play only Christian Worship and this works for that.
2 years since as of 9/13/05.
I'd get another it was sheap
love the price
yea the ones at church are plain this has amp models on it
wish it had a 1/4 stereo out. using head phones to practice and only get the left is very annoying
helps a lot
i like it

Easy to use. Simple and plain, just the way it should be.Manual is an easy read, not much to it.

I find that this is exactly- yes exactly, the same as the Sansamp Bass Driver. I had one, and this sounds just as good, and does the same stuff for 1/3 the price.However, both the Sansamp and this BDI21 are the same as far as their signal output, which is piss weak at best. They both say they are a preamp, but I had bought them both to use in my practice studio, with a small 150 watt power amp. Neither of them have enough signal to give more than about 1/3 output from the amp. They both sound good, but I will have to buy a signal booster to use them in this manner. I sold the Sansamp on e-bay, but will keep the BDI21, cause it's just the same, only much cheaper.It's sound is every bit as good as the Sansamp Bass Driver!!!

If it's as good as my BXT3000 head, it will give no problems at all. However I found both this and the Sansamp driver useless with the Behringer bass head, it sounded great without these boxes, I just bought this for my basement studio jammimg.

Never had to deal with them. All I've personally owned has been trouble free. I think as long as you treat your equipment with care, it will serve you well.

I like hard rock, blues and jazz. I think it will work well for all.

Very easy to use, has a small manual with 5 sample settings which in my opinion works just fine for every style of music (I personally use the SVT sample setting and adjust Drive knob to the preferred level). Start with a sample setting, make some adjustments to your taste and press the footswitch...that simple!

I use the unit for home recording and practicing and in studio rehearsals. I have my bass (EB StringRay 5) connected to the unit and then the unit connected to the active input of my combo (Behringer BX1200 - hey I'm not a Behringer freak, I just spent most of my budget on the guitar and after all they offer good value for money).I always thought that the sound of my amp was ok, not something to die for. The first time I used it, I used the SVT setting, set my amp's eq to flat and started playing with the unit switched off so I could later notice the difference.I then pressed the footswitch and...WOW, my amp became a monster! I really couldn't believe how much this small unit improved my sound. The amp became alive and I now never dare to use it without this small box! I experimented with all sample settings and some of my own and I found that you can only get good tones out of it, unless you boost all knobs, this is when it becomes noisy, as expected. I tend to use the SVT setting all the time and just adjust the Drive level. Treble, mid and bass frequencies are adjusted directly from my bass guitar and in this way I really can instantly dial ANY, I really mean ANY tone. Completely satisfied! The only thing that really concerns me is the low volume level of the XLR output. I really do not know if this is a problem in general, some units have this problem or I do not use it the right way! In any case, I think it is rather impossible to use this unit as a standalone DI box with this low output volume level.

This unit is made of thick plastic, which is ok for home or studio use but not ok for live, where it could easily be damaged, unless you place it somewhere protected.

Never dealt with them

I bought the unit just to give it a try since it is a copy of SansAmp Bass DI, which I always desired. At this value, this unit is UNBEATABLE! My sound has been dramatically improved. I also got very good comments from friends and bandmates, some of them are already planning to buy one since it suitable not only for bass guitars, but also for guitars, mics, keybs etc. and given this price tag, you cannot go wrong! I do not know if it would improve the tone of a good rig (that would cost and weight 1000's) or if SansAmp is better, but the fact is that I have spent about 350 euro (combo + unit) and I have a sound that is a real pleasure to hear and play.

Very easy to use.

It is a little noisier than with just my amp but not obnoxiously so. It seems to sound OK but it also takes away any personality that my amp has and to my ears sounds either mushy or brittle. As far as tube amp sound goes, someone else will have to judge as I haven't played thru any bass tube amps. I don't have a favorite artist (just to answer that question on this format.

I would not use it at all and here's why. I bought it (admitedly for very little money) to use as an effect to my amp as well as a DI to a PA. When going to my PA I have to turn the volume all the way up to equal my other inputs at 1/3 volume. The other inexcuseable thing is that I cannot use it as just a DI box. Without a cord plugged in to the other output (to amp) the noise is terrible and I do mean terrible. Please no one tell me I don't know how to use it. There are not many ways to screw this up guys. Someone else mentioned the DI being a low output and another person immediately said he didn't know how to use it. Well I do and it don't. Mine may be faulty though I will not return it but will trash it and consider it a lesson learned.

No experience here

No I would not buy it again. Ever. Period